


I'll Keep the Nightmares Away

by isnt_that_wizard



Series: Shadowhunter Shorts [7]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood is the best boyfriend, Angst, Blood, Boys In Love, Descriptions of Blood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Magnus has a nightmare about Alec dying, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Episode: s03e10 Erchomai, Temporary Character Death, a fairly happy ending, set in between 3a and 3b
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 05:05:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18004343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_that_wizard/pseuds/isnt_that_wizard
Summary: "It was- You were- I just kept seeing you. . . I couldn't do anything to stop it, I have no magic, and I- . . . You just kept dying," Magnus' voice broke off into barely a whisper.He knew Alec heard it, however, when the arms around him tightened and he felt a kiss to his hair. He blinked back his resurfacing tears."There was so much blood, it was everywhere, it just wouldn't stop, and- the red- it was awful."_______________Magnus has an awful nightmare about Alec dying in his arms, and when he wakes up crying and terrified, his amazing boyfriend is there to take care of him, reminding Magnus that Alec is safe, alive, and loves him very much.





	I'll Keep the Nightmares Away

_Magnus knew exactly where he was. Even after centuries, his knowledge of this place was as good as the knowledge of the back of his hand. He expected it always would be._

 

 

_Magnus wandered down the hall of his childhood home. This was his house, where he lived with his beautiful mother and cold stepfather. He was walking to her room. Magnus knew exactly how this dream would end and seeing it again would kill him just a little bit more, and yet, it seemed he couldn't control his own body.  With a slight skip in his step, he entered his mother's room, calling for her._

 

 

_He stopped as he looked at the covers, pulled over her head. His mother never slept like that; what was she doing?_

 

 

_"Mama?"_

 

 

_Magnus reached out his hand to pull back the covers in search for his mother's attention. As he reached out,_ _uncontrollably, Magnus noticed something off. Every time this dream took over his mind, he was right back where it had happened. In the same ratty tunic that was stained from his playing, in the same house, and the same age. He was always a little boy, and yet, as he watched his own hand reach out, it was ring covered and the nails painted. It was_ his _hand._

 

 

_Every time Magnus had this dream, always aware, he was never in control. This time, he felt even less so. Something was wrong. Magnus could feel his anxiety spike as he threw back the covers. Rather than the horribly normal sight of his mother, knife in her abdomen, laying in her own_ _blood, he was met with something much worse._

 

 

_Alexander._

 

 

_His boyfriend was laying there, his dark green shirt stained darker around his stomach. Magnus felt like he was choking as blood seeped into the white sheets of the bed. A_ _broken call of his boyfriend's name came out of his mouth as he reached towards the Shadowhunter._

 

 

_Alec didn't respond to him._

 

 

_"Alec, Alec! No, no, no, no," Magnus cried. Magnus fell down next to the bed. His chest was heaving; he felt like he couldn't breath. Alec was pale and motionless._

 

 

_With tears as he pointlessly shook his boyfriend, blood getting on his hands and seeping further around the sheets and Alec's shirt, Magnus choked out, "Alexander- please, you have to- wake up, Alec, come on! Please! Alec-"_

 

 

_Nothing worked. Tears clouded his vision, his entire body was shaking-_

 

 

_"No!" Magnus screamed._

 

 

BANG. _T_ _he scene around him changed in a flash of lightning._

 

 

_Magnus gasped, looking around him. They were in an alley, drenched in darkness. Magnus turned back to his boyfriend-_

 

 

_Alec was laying on the ground, choking on his own blood as an arrow stuck into his chest. Magnus shook his head violently._

 

 

_"No, no, no, not again. No, Alec, please."_

 

 

_His boyfriend, blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth, smiled up at him. This gorgeous man, this_ dying _man, was trying to reassure him. Magnus clutched at Alec's hand, stroking his hair back. The blood on his hands was doubling. It seemed to be the only thing that had stayed the same from before. Blood was on his hands, soaked into his sleeves and the chest of his shirt, running onto the ground as it seeped from Alec's stab wound._

 

 

_The sight of it made Magnus cry harder, Alec just laying there, repeating exactly what he had said the last time._

 

 

_Only this time, Catarina didn't show up. Magnus was helpless, and no one was coming to help. Alec was dying right in front of him._

 

 

BANG. _With more lightning, the scene changed again._

 

 

_Now, it seemed Magnus was kneeling in an already spread and unbearably thick pond of blood. He could feel the liquid under his legs and going through his jeans. Along with the choking of tears, Magnus' breaths became corse, ragged, and led him into a coughing fit as he breathed in. As he tried to find air, he sucked_ _in something else._

 

 

_Ash._

 

 

_Magnus gagged on the overwhelming smell of sulfur._

 

 

_Through the amount of tears, the mascara and eyeliner dripping with it, through the sting and salt obstructing his vision, Magnus could barely make out the_ _sickly, almost translucent paleness of his boyfriend's face, how his chest wasn't moving. Magnus ran a hand through Alec's hair, managing to choke out his boyfriend's name through all the ash, but his hand just came away even bloodier and his throat closed._

 

 

_Even without the ash, sulfur, and blood, the panic Magnus was swelling with would stop him from breathing even one clear breath. Alec was laying in blood in front of him, and that wasn't even the only thing that was causing Magnus to panic._

 

 

_The ash, the sulfur. He knew exactly where he was._

 

 

_Magnus' pain and fear was confirmed as a deep, rugged laugh broke out, seemingly from everwhere around him, echoing._

 

 

_"No, no, no!" Magnus fell into Alec's chest, sobbing into the blood soaked shirt. He had no idea where the wound even was._

 

 

_The laugh started again, dripping in evil. All the years he'd spent in Edom, it still unnerved him. All the years under his father's watchful gaze and cruel guidance, that laugh still gave him nightmares._

 

 

_To have it looming over him as he cried, holding his boyfriend's dead body. . ._

 

 

_The_ _laughing, the smoke and ash, the blood, tears, dripping make-up, blood, shaking, no breathing, heat, Alec, blood-_

 

 

_Blood. Alec's blood was everywhere, he wasn't breathing-_

 

 

_Magnus let out a scream as his father's booming, torturous laugh getting closer-_

 

 

_All Magnus could see was red, blood everywhere-_

 

 

_Magnus screamed-_

 

 

"Magnus!"

 

 

Magnus shot up from the bed, his shout still on his lips. He could feel the burning taste still left of his tongue, hear the flames and his father in his ear. He felt a presence next to him, making him jump away.

 

 

When his eyes finally focused, it was on the red of silk sheets he'd put on the bed yesterday.

 

 

Red sheets. The _blood-_

 

 

Magnus scrambled, pushing the sheets off his lap as quickly as he could. Stumbling off the bed, he couldn't bring himself to look back at the color as he backed against the wall, his arms folded atop one another as if he was hugging himself tightly. He tried to even his breathing, stable himself, but as the visions from his dream kept appearing in front of his eyes, it was only getting worse.

 

 

Soon, the same presence from the bed was in front of him. He could make out whoever it was holding their hands up, like they were surrendering. He tried to back further into the wall.

 

 

"Magnus? Hey, it's okay, Magnus. It's just me, okay? Breathe, babe."

 

 

The voice broke through to Magnus like a switch being flicked on. His vision seemed to clear, and as Magnus blinked rapidly, he could finally make out who was in front of him.

 

 

"Ale- Alexander?"

 

 

Alec nodded gently, reaching his hands towards Magnus, but staying enough distance that Magnus could pull away from him if needed.

 

 

"Yeah, babe, it's just me. I'm right here, you're okay."

 

 

Magnus let out a sob, barreling into his boyfriend's arms. He held onto Alec for dear life, crying into his shoulder. He was still so afraid, like if he opened his eyes again, Alec would be laying back in Edom, dead in his arms.

 

 

Magnus doesn't know how long they stood there, Alec running his hands soothingly up and down his back, through his hair in a way he knew Magnus loved, whispering constant reassurances of "It's okay, it was just a dream, breathe, Magnus, I got you". He was just trying to come back to reality, to accept that Alec was _right here,_ holding him and so very much alive. His beautiful boyfriend was _alive._

 

 

Eventually Magnus managed to match his breathing to Alec's and his tears subsided. There was silence until Alec whispered, "Do you want to move back to the bed?"

 

 

Magnus shook his head fiercely in reply. No, he still couldn't look at those sheets, not without thinking about. . .

 

 

"Okay, that's okay. How about the living room, yeah?"

 

 

Magnus nodded and allowed Alec to detach from him just enough to move them out of the room. He still clung to his boyfriend's side, tucking his face into Alec's neck as they moved past the bed. When they reached the living room, Magnus let himself melt into the cool leather of his couch. He watched closely as Alec moved into the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and returned. He offered it out to Magnus, but he shook his head. Alec set it on the table in front of them with a quiet sigh, then sat down, facing his boyfriend.

 

 

Their knees were touching, but it wasn't enough for Magnus. Instead, he moved, practically climbing into Alec's lap. His head was leaning into his boyfriend's bare chest, his head tucked under Alec's chin. Alec seemed to accept the new position, wrapping his arms around Magnus and rubbing up and down his arms.

 

 

It was silent maybe three minutes before Alec broke it with, "I woke up to you twisting and turning. You were crying and yelling my name. What happened, Magnus? What kind of dream was it?"

 

 

Magnus sniffled, not wanting to relive any part of it.

 

 

But Alec was right here. He was okay, and breathing, and there was no blood in sight. Alec was right here.

 

 

"It was- You were- I just kept seeing you. . . I couldn't do anything to stop it, I have no magic, and I- . . . You just kept dying," Magnus' voice broke off into barely a whisper.

 

 

He knew Alec heard it, however, when the arms around him tightened and he felt a kiss to his hair. He blinked back his resurfacing tears.

 

 

"There was so much blood, it was everywhere, it just wouldn't stop, and- the _red-_ it was awful."

 

 

"Is that why you didn't want to go back to bed? The sheets?"

 

 

Magnus nodded. He felt Alec release a long breath and another kiss to his hair.

 

 

"It's okay. You stay here and I'll go change them out, okay? Back to the gold ones you love."

 

 

Alec made a move to get up, but Magnus gripped his arm to stop him. His point must have gotten across because Alec relaxed back into the couch.

 

 

"Hey, it's okay. I'm okay. No blood, I'm not dying. You saved me, remember?"

 

 

Magnus looked down before mumbling, "Catarina saved you."

 

 

Alec seemed to be frowning as he pulled back from Magnus just far enough to look at his face, bringing one hand up to cup his cheek. His eyes were soft and loving, like always.

 

 

"Magnus, it was you. You saved me. Jace was. . . the  _Owl_ was killing me, and you stopped him. Even if it wasn't really him, Jace was leaning over me, like it was  _him_ killing me- that was more painful than anything- and if you hadn't shown up, I would have let him, I wouldn't have fought it. Seeing you gave me a reason to try and live."

 

 

Magnus found himself tearing up at the confession and he gripped Alec's wrist, pressing a kiss to the palm holding his face.

 

 

"You saved me in every way that counts, Magnus," Alec whispered, leaning in to press a kiss to Magnus' lips.

 

 

It wasn't my any means long, just a short press of closed lips against each other, but it was still so meaningful. It made, for the first time that night, Magnus release a small smile. Alec returned it, giving another quick peck to his boyfriend's lips.

 

 

After a few minutes more, Alec made to move again, and Magnus let him. He accepted the offered water, sipping on it as he watched Alec move into the bedroom to change the sheets. When his Shadowhunter came back, Magnus had the empty water glass slipping out of his hand and his eyes were drooping shut. Alec smiled softly at him, kneeling down to look at him with eye level.

 

 

"You look exhausted. Can I carry you back to bed? No more red sheets, I promise."

 

 

Magnus nodded to him letting the glass fall out of hand and onto the cushion next to him as Alec's arms came under his back and his knees, lifting him up.

 

 

When Alec set him back down, it was into the soft golden color of cool sheets that smelled of sandalwood and a hint of lavender. Alec was quick to join him, wrapping him up in his strong arms and pulling him against his chest. Magnus' head found it's perfect resting spot just above Alec's heart, where he could here the steady, unwavering beat.

 

 

To Magnus, it was the best sound in the world. When he finally did fall back to sleep, it was to that sound, to Alec's hands in his hair and on his back, and to the knowledge that through all the hell they were facing, the man he loved was here, safe, and alive.

 


End file.
